Back in July, just after Adam Sandler's I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry was released, I posted about a report in the Brisbane Times that Dan Murphy, the director and co-writer of the Australian film Strange Bedfellows, was concerned that Chuck and Larry filmmakers had ripped off his idea.

"According to the papers, Rob Schneider got a copy of Strange Bedfellows, and gave it to Adam Sandler, who then turned around and made Chuck and Larry. The Aussie company alleges that Sandler's company Happy Madison Productions have "continuously infringed [Bedfellows] copyright by distributing, selling, producing, and claiming authorship" over Chuck and Larry. As it happens, Chuck and Larry grossed $120 million in the U.S., while Bedfellows did about $4.2 million (U.S.) in its native land. The suit seeks unspecified damages."

In Mexico City to promote the opening (are they really still rolling out this film?) of I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Adam Sandler told reporters that he would be willing to work with gay rights groups, the AP reports.

Said the actor: ''If I can help anybody in any way, I certainly would.''

A reporter asked Sandler if he thought he might become a "gay icon"...

Kevin James was asked about some reactions to the movie labeling it homophobic: "Of course, we didn't want to offend anybody or hurt anybody.If we can help people too along the way, that would be great."

And Sandler received the obligatory kiss question, which he called "Not bad...He was clean, and he seemed to brush his teeth and all that."

You may remember on Wednesday I posted about an item in Star magazine in a section entitled "Stars: Are They Normal Or Not?", brought to my attention by blogger Matthew Rettenmund. Star had published a photo of Adam Sandler and Kevin James in a mock kiss at Shea stadium as they promoted their film I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. However, Star's implication by the photo and caption was that "man-to-man" kissing was "not normal".

This morning I received an email from GLAAD, who contacted Star after reading the post.

Editor-in-Chief Candace Trunzo has issued a formal apology on behalf of the magazine.

Said Trunzo: "'Normal/Not Normal' is supposed to be funny, and I regret that this particular photo caption was offensive and not written in a way to make it clear that we were being humorous. The joke was that Kevin James and Adam Sandler are not gay. If the kiss was between Lance Bass and his boyfriend or any other gay celebrities it would be 'Normal.' Let me point out that in the same issue of STAR, we devote the entire Couples News lead to Neil Patrick Harris and his boyfriend moving in together. Now that's normal. I sincerely apologize that our attempt at humor was perceived by some to be offensive to the gay community. That was certainly not our intent. We are proud that we support the gay community and will continue to do so."

Blogger and author Matthew Rettenmund has called on Star magazine to apologize after featuring a photo of Adam Sandler and Kevin James in a mock kiss to promote I Now Pronounce you Chuck & Larry at Shea Stadium. Chuck & Larry, which tells the story of two firefighters who pretend to be gay in order to collect domestic partner benefits from the city fo New York, was the #1 movie at the box office last weekend, taking in $34.8 million.

Star, which according to Rettenmund regularly features a "Stars: Are They Normal Or Not?" section in the magazine, placed Sandler and James in the "Not" portion of the feature.

FireFLAG/EMS of the Fire Department of New York, "the nation’s oldest and largest LGBT firefighter organization", was invited by Universal Pictures to screen the new Adam Sandler film I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. While they said that some of the jokes might be considered offensive, they were generally pleased at the message of tolerance and said that the movie depicted experiences similar to ones many firefighters face when 'coming out' on the job.

"While 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry' is a broad comedy, the reality is there are gay firefighters in many departments across the country, including the FDNY. The 'coming out' process in the movie mirrors what I, and many of my colleagues, have gone through on the job. Initially we may have dealt with disbelief, disdain, and even prejudice from our fellow firefighters. But significantly, as in our experiences, the film shows the process gay firefighters go through on the job as they move towards acceptance by their fellow firefighters. The film shows the journey that gay firefighters go through in their careers, the brotherhood of firefighters, and ultimately their respect for one another based on actions and deeds. Over the years, the FDNY and its members have become more supportive of gay firefighters and have made strides in improving how they are treated on the job. FireFLAG/EMS supports this progress and is actively involved in the department’s actions on gay-related issues. 'Chuck and Larry' is, of course, a comedy and some of the humor may be considered offensive to some, but the growth of the principal characters during the course of the film is the ultimate measure of how to judge the intent and heart of the filmmakers."